Birmingham Baron Trayce Thompson talks to reporters at Media Day for the upcoming 2014 season. The outfielder came within a double of hitting for the cycle in the Barons victory on Sunday, April 13, 2014. (Mark Almond | malmond@al.com)

The Birmingham Barons
proved that axiom Sunday as they turned a slow start to their home-opening
series and an early game deficit into a 9-1 victory over the Jacksonville Suns,
which yielded a 3-2 series win for the home team at Regions Field.

An announced crowd of
5,405 saw Birmingham fall behind 1-0 on a Barons error.

Suns leadoff batter Austin
Nola, reached on a throwing error by third baseman Chris Curley and scored
later in the frame on a sacrifice fly by J.T. Realmuto.

Tied at 1-1 in the
bottom of the second, centerfielder Trayce Thompson delivered his first home
run of the season -- a two-run blast that gave Birmingham the lead for good. The
home run extended his hitting streak to nine games, the longest hitting streak
in the Southern League so far in 2014.

Chris Curley had his
second three-hit game in a row, getting two doubles and scoring a run in the
sixth when Ryan Fisher threw wildly to second base on a ground ball by Jeremy
Farrell to give the Barons a 4-1 lead. Curley leads the Southern League with
six doubles so far this season.

Curley's run was the
beginning of a four-run inning that blew the game open. Thompson had the key
hit in the inning, lining a base hit to centerfield scoring two runs and Kevan
Smith followed with a sacrifice fly to give the Barons a 7-1 lead.

The Barons would
plate single runs in the seventhand eighth innings to take a 9-1
lead. Thompson finished a double short of the cycle on the afternoon and picked
up his second three-hit game in the past three contests to go along with four
RBI.

Starter Nick McCully
(2-0, 0.00) had his second-straight stellar start to begin the season, allowing
just one run (0 earned) on two hits over 5.0 IP. McCully, who had an 18.0
inning scoreless streak in 2013, has yet to allow an earned run in 10.0 IP so
far in 2014.

Rehabbing White Sox
INF Gordon Beckham finished 1-for-1 with a base hit and a walk in two
at-bats before being removed for pinch-hitter Michael Earley.

With the win, the
Barons improved to 5-5 while Jacksonville fell to3-7. The Barons head back on
the road Monday to begin a five-game series against the Mobile BayBears in a
rematch of the 2013 Southern League Finals.

The Barons will send right-hander
Chris Beck (1-1, 7.20) to the hill in Game One against righty Chase Anderson
(2-0, 0.00). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at Hank Aaron Stadium on
Monday.